Fright Night
1985 Directed by Tom Holland
Synopsis
Nobody believes teenager Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) when he discovers that his suave new neighbor, Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon), is a vampire. So when the bloodsucker starts stalking Charley, he turns to has-been actor Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall), famed for portraying a ghoul hunter. Unfortunately for the would-be vampire slayers, Dandridge has set his sights on Charlie's girlfriend in this clever spoof of the horror genre.
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"Your so cool Brewster."-Evil Ed
A cult classic that should not be forgotten. I love this film. The remake is great too but not as good as this one. The mix is of comedy and horror is good. Tom Holland does a great of demonstrating his ability to do that, which he would show later in "Child's Play". The fun starts at the beginning and doesn't stop. The character of Charlie is a bit irrational and you can see why people think he's crazy, besides him claiming there is a vampire next door. Chris Sarandon does an excellent job as the vampire. Also I must mention Evil Ed. He is hilarious and over the top it is so great. Everyone… -
A childhood favorite that, even though it's sometimes hilariously clear that it was made in 1985, holds up beautifully; I might actually enjoy it a little bit more as an adult. Wonderfully atmospheric - few movies have so perfectly captured the eerie nighttime vibe of a quiet suburban neighborhood. I love that it's a reworking of Rear Window with Raymond Burr replaced by Chris Sarandon as a virile, charismatic vampire next door and Jimmy Stewart replaced by William Ragsdale as the horror buff who realizes before anyone else what his new neighbor is up to. While I liked the remake, it was a mistake to change Peter Vincent to a Criss Angel-type goth magician - Roddy McDowell's performance as the…
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Jerry Dandridge is the best movie vampire.
This is not a thing to be discussed. This is a truth.
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Excerpt from my piece 'Fright Night (1985) and the Differences Between Horror Comedy and Horror with Humour'...
"The movie embraces its own clichés and it works supremely well because at the same time it has a sense of humour while not making a joke about those limitations. It is a perfect example of a true horror film that just so happens to have lashings of humour. Atmospheric, exciting, funny, great characters and performances delivering sharp dialogue, scary, sexy, well plotted with well-paced direction and always entertaining ‘Fright Night’ has everything. It is an old school vampire movie encapsulated in a colourful 80’s energy. This is an essential genre work."
Read the full article here -
http://cinematicshocks.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/vampire-week-2012-fright-night-1985-and.html
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"Mmmmm mmm. His dinner's in the oven!"
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Why can't horror movies these days be this much fun whilst at the same time scaring the crap out of you?
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Excerpt from my piece 'Fright Night (1985) and the Differences Between Horror Comedy and Horror with Humour'...
"The movie embraces its own clichés and it works supremely well because at the same time it has a sense of humour while not making a joke about those limitations. It is a perfect example of a true horror film that just so happens to have lashings of humour. Atmospheric, exciting, funny, great characters and performances delivering sharp dialogue, scary, sexy, well plotted with well-paced direction and always entertaining ‘Fright Night’ has everything. It is an old school vampire movie encapsulated in a colourful 80’s energy. This is an essential genre work."
Read the full article here -
http://cinematicshocks.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/vampire-week-2012-fright-night-1985-and.html
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Entretenida. Con un ritmo típico de los 80, dejando una introducción de una hora hasta la verdadera acción. Es divertida y se deja ver con facilidad. A destacar mucho momentos: el de cuando se pone la gabardina para morder o enseñar la picha, el de cuando te crece el pelo si eres vampiro, el momento blandiblú o los geniales efectos especiales de la época.
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Perfection.
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Fright Night has the reputation of being one of the best vampire films of the 1980?s, maybe of the genre. Long before The Lost Boys, Near Dark and The Hunger, there was Fright Night. A little horror gem with such a simple story that it makes it that more enjoyable. Fact is, is that Fright Night strips away anything really original or unique, however, director Tom Holland pulls it off with great precision. What makes Fright Night a lot of fun, is the characters, the story, Brad Fiedel's incredible soundtrack and Nostalgia of the 1980?s. I mean these were the years where vampire films mattered. Vampires were evil and charming. Fright Nigh delivers all that. Many people have said that…
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Roddy McDowall has the most beautiful snowy white hair in this.
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"Where are you going, Pencil Dick?"
One of my favorite 80s horror films and possibly one of my favorite horror films in general.
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"Mmmmm mmm. His dinner's in the oven!"
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Movie #4 from my 1985: Birth Year Challenge.
I'm not sure if I've seen this before. I thought I had, but watching it, I'm not too sure. Anyway, the story didn't fit right. Compared to the remake, which I really loved, there was something missing with this.
It was alright, reeked of the 80's, funny in places and a decent soundtrack.
But there was something missing.
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Everything about this film is hilariously dated (especially the score) and its slow pacing hampers its ability to be considered a fun romp. The framework for a great movie is still definitely apparent but I feel it just didn't age very well.